Disc arthroplasty is one way of treating injured, degraded, or diseased spinal joints. Some disc arthroplasty treatments include replacing injured discs of the joint with a motion-preserving spinal disc that allows some articulation or movement of the spinal joint. While the inserted disc may provide joint articulation to a patient, inserting the spinal disc can be an invasive and intensive procedure. For example, conventional spinal discs are fairly large and; therefore, may typically be installed through an anterior procedure. Because anterior procedures often require displacement of vessels, such as the aorta and vena cava, they must be performed with great care. Further, because scar tissue may grow about the surgical site, any required second treatment can be more difficult, and may introduce additional distress to the patient.
What is needed is a prosthetic device for insertion into an intervertebral space that may have a smaller geometry than conventional discs, providing surgical options to a physician. The current disclosure overcomes one or more problems in the prior art.